Coin-Operated Boy
by feytwilight
Summary: Everyone knows that Tony Stark's issues have great, great, grand issues. These are where they began... Sorry 'bout the bad summary, its totally not my forte. Prequel to The Human Factor. Easily read as a stand-alone.
1. Chapter 1

Coin-Operated Boy

The sun spat rays as bitter as blood through the boy's draperied window, illuminating an underfed boy with a mop of messy black hair lying in the middle of a sweat soaked bed. The five year old opened his warm chocolate eyes and looked around restlessly. His weary gaze eventually rested on a glass set beside him. He propped himself up on his bed weakly and reached one hand out for the glass of water on his bedside table before tipping it over onto the carpet. The boy eventually dragged himself out of bed to go to his bathroom. He reached up for the sink and used his cupped hands to take some quick sips of water before padding back to his bed. He flopped back down on his sheets dejectedly and curled on his side, facing the wall.

The boy's room did not look like a normal child's bedroom. In fact the room didn't resemble a proper bedroom at all. Instead of toys littering the space, the boy had machine parts and sharp tools. Instead of children's stories, the boy had books on mathematics, science, and robotics in his bookcase. The only concession to childhood in the entirety of the room was a small Captain America action figure secreted under the child's pillow. The boy sneaked a thin hand under his head to clutch at the toy. His Aunt Peggy had given it to him before she disappeared.

"Anthony?" A female voice called outside his door. The boy snatched his hand back out from under his pillow, closing his eyes and feigning sleep. A woman unlocked his door and entered the room, closing it swiftly behind her. The woman had obviously been a great beauty once, but life and circumstance had drawn harsh lines across her face. She was still a young woman, only thirty, but the dullness of her dark eyes made her seem much older. The woman approached the boy's bed carrying a bowl of soup. She set it on the bedside table and stared down at him for several long minutes before noticing the spilled glass on the floor.

"Oh Anthony, you went and spilled your water all over the floor. Don't worry I'll clean it up." He should have poured it down the drain, Tony thought. Maria Stark went into his bathroom and took out a towel before putting it on the floor to soak up the water. She rolled him over to face her and he opened his eyes, knowing the jig was up. She sat on the edge of his bed and picked up the bowl and spoon. "Look, Mommy made you some soup." She said in a sweet as honey voice as she proffered the steaming bowl in her hand. The boy looked scared and watched the bowl as if it were a venomous snake sure to bite him.

"I'm n-n-not hungry." He stammered out faintly. Maria put a hand on his arm and shook the thin boy gently, but her sharp painted nails dug into his skin. Tony winced.

"Anthony, please honey, have some soup; it's good for you. It will make you feel better." She said. Tony's intelligent eyes looked up at her before glancing towards the door.

"Where's Jarvis?" He asked quietly. Tony hadn't seen his beloved butler for almost a whole week and he missed him terribly. Jarvis usually wouldn't leave him alone with his mother. Maria's eyes narrowed and her mouth became pinched.

"He's not here." She said finally.

"And D-d-dad?" Tony asked desperately. His mother frowned.

"Your father's very busy, you know that, he has important work to do for our country." Tony nodded; he knew that, he knew how important Dad's work was. He just wished he were important too sometimes. "At least have a little soup, it's your favorite, minestrone." She urged before gathering some up on a spoon for him to taste. Tony turned his head to the side, his mouth pressed firmly closed.

"I don't w-want it." He said thinly. Maria pressed the spoon of hot soup against his mouth trying to force it between his lips.

"Don't be stubborn, have your soup!" She insisted. He knocked the spoon away from him and out of her hand, spilling it out on his bed.

"No!" He shouted with all the energy he possessed. Maria breathed hard, trying to restrain herself. Then she suddenly smiled.

"Do you want me to tell your father that you've been misbehaving?" She asked sweetly. Tony blanched.

"N-no." He stuttered. His father usually ignored him unless he was being bad. He didn't want to be bad. He didn't want to make Dad anymore disappointed in him than he already was. Maria continued smiling as she picked up the spoon and scooped up some more soup onto it before holding it up to his mouth.

"Then open up." Tony obediently opened his mouth. "There's a good boy." Maria said happily. She continued feeding him the painfully hot soup until he had completely finished the bowl. She wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Now what do you say?" She asked.

"Thank you m-mom." Tony said quietly. She tucked the covers around him tightly.

"Good boy. Now go to sleep." Maria said, kissing him on the forehead as she got up to leave taking the empty dish with her.

"Y-y-yes, mom." Tony said.

"Goodnight Anthony." She whispered before leaving the room and locking the door behind her.

"Goodnight." He said sadly as the sunlight finally died away leaving him in darkness. He wiped the red lipstick from his head and struggled out of the confining blanket. His stomach was already beginning to cramp painfully. He cried softly to himself. His father had told him boys weren't supposed to cry, he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it, it hurt. He reached under his pillow and pulled Captain America out, holding the action figure against his chest as he curled around him. He hoped Jarvis would come home soon. Jarvis would make him feel better. But until Jarvis came back, Captain America would have to protect him. Tony sniffled and wrapped his arms tighter around his doll. Captain America would keep him safe.

**Prequel to The Human Factor**

**Will continue this if anybody wants me to.**


	2. Chapter 2

Maria Stark entered her husband's laboratory in the basement of the east wing. "Howie darling?" She called as she entered. Her husband turned from a rifle he was tinkering with and snarled impatiently over his shoulder.

"What is it Maria?" Maria flinched from her husbands voice and said quickly in a low voice.

"Anthony is ill." She said. Howard snorted and snapped the large heavy gun back together.

"Again? He doesn't get that weak fainty shit from my side of the family." He said as he peered through the weapons scope, sighting along to a beaten up dummy hanging at the opposite end of his lab.

"Howard!" Maria said in a shocked tone. Howard frowned and slammed the gun down on the desk, causing Maria to jump.

"Fine, I don't want to argue, call Doctor Blessing, see if he can't sort the boy out." He said. Maria backed away from him.

"Yes dear, I'll sit with Anthony until he comes." She said as she left. Howard waved a hand in the air flippantly and went back to his gun.

"Whatever." He said. Maria had a maid call their Doctor, got some supplies and went back up to her son's room. She entered after knocking once.

"Anthony?" Maria called. She unlocked the door and entered, switching on a light.

"Mmph." Tony's muffled voice responded, his face sinking further into his pillow, one hand reaching underneath it while the other gripped his stomach. Maria set a bowl of cold water and a cloth on the side table and pulled Tony unwillingly toward her. Tony faced her and groaned, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Shhh, come here sweetie, Dr. Blessing will be arriving soon, he will help you." Maria wet a cloth and began wiping at the sweat on Tony's brow. Tony squinted up at her.

"Ow, wh-where's Jarvis?" Tony's young voice trembled as he asked. Maria tossed her dark curling hair over her shoulder, her long diamond earrings catching the light from the room's lamp.

"Don't worry your head about that old man, just focus on feeling better darling. There doesn't that feel good?" She said as she rewetted the cloth and stroked Tony's damp hair.

"Uh huh." Tony said lowly. Maria reached down and hugged Tony to her causing him to moan pitifully.

"You'll be alright Anthony, mommy will take care of you." Maria said. A knock sounded on the door, and a maid then entered the room.

"Mrs. Stark, Dr. Blessing has arrived." The maid said. Maria nodded briskly.

"Thank you Jocasta, I'll see to him." Maria Stark said. Maria put the covers back over her son, left the room, and walked to the vestibule where the doctor awaited her. Dr. Blessing was a solid looking man in his late 50's. His white hair fluttered about his head in thin wisps, while small circle framed glasses rested on the tip of his nose. He carried a large old-fashioned black valise gripped in both his scarred hands. Maria rushed up to him and rested her hands on top of his.

"Oh, Dr. Blessing, Thank you for coming, I'm so glad you're here, Tony's sick." She said earnestly. Dr. John Blessing looked down at her, his glasses almost slipping off his nose.

"His stomach again?" He asked. Maria nodded, her eyes wide.

"Yes he's in pain you must help him. I'm at my wits end and just don't know what else to do." She cried.

"Show him to me." Dr. Blessing strode forward briskly. They moved down the hall, Maria leading the way.

"It just suddenly came on him, and he's always so tired all the time." She expounded. They reached Tony's door and before Maria could open it, the doctor reached out and placed a hand firmly on the knob, looking her in the eye.

"Alone, if you please." Dr. Blessing said. Maria's eyes flashed.

"I'm his mother!" She snapped. Dr. Blessing kept his voice even.

"And I'm his Doctor, I would appreciate some professional courtesy. I will do everything I can to help little Tony. Is Jarvis here?" He asked. Maria sniffed.

"Why does everyone ask that? He's dealing with some family matter or other." She said with a careless gesture. The doctor nodded.

"Very well, just wait out here, if Tony wants you I'll come and get you straightaway." Dr. Blessing said. Maria folded her arms in front of her stomach.

"If you say so Doctor, just please help my son, I hate seeing my little bambino like this." She said as she leaned against the wall beside the door.

"Of course Mrs. Stark." Dr. Blessing said dryly. The doctor entered the dimly lit room, firmly shutting the door behind him. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light before he moved over to the exhausted child lying on the bed. "Hello Tony, how are you feeling?" He asked. Tony looked up at him blearily.

"Doctor? My stomach hurts, and I think my head too." Tony said, raising a weak arm to his forehead. The doctor opened his bag on the floor and got out a thermometer.

"I see. When did you start feeling ill?" The doctor asked conversationally. Tony averted his eyes and muttered.

"…I do' know." Tony said. Blessing's bright blue eyes peered over his glasses, down at the boy and held the thermometer up.

"Say Ahhh." Tony opened his mouth. Dr. Blessing put thermometer under the boy's tongue, waited a few minutes before taking it out, shaking it and looking at it closely. He shook his head and put it away before getting out his stethoscope, lifting up the boy's shirt and listening to his heart and lungs. Tony flinched from the cold metal. "You know you can tell me anything Tony, I'm your Doctor, you can trust me. Can you tell me when you started to feel like this?" Dr. Blessing asked intently. Tony avoided the doctor's eyes.

"Af-after I had mom's soup." The boy said in a low voice. Blessing patted Tony's arm gently.

"Thank you for telling me, Tony." He said, he studied the boy's fingernails and frowned. "Here sit up, there you go." He let go of the boy's hands and guided Tony into sitting up against his headboard. He reached into his bag and got out some medicinal liquid and a bottle of pills. He took a tablet out, cut it, and gave half to the boy with a small cup of the liquid. "Drink this and take this pill." Tony grimaced at the taste, but took his medicine. Dr. Blessing ruffled his hair lightly. "Now rest up Tony and you'll be fine, I'll be right back." Tony snuggled into his pillow, the pain in his stomach already seeming to ease.

"Okay." Tony replied. The doctor left the room, closing the door behind him once again. Maria moved up to Dr. Blessing worriedly, wringing her hands.

"How is he, Doctor?" She asked. The doctor looked down at her sharply.

"He is very ill Mrs. Stark, but he isn't in any immediate danger." He said. Maria sighed, relieved, and started to move toward Tony's door.

"I'll just sit with him." She said. The doctor put a hand out to stop her.

"Please let the boy rest." He said with a barely concealed glare. "Where can I find your husband?" He finished in a growl. Maria Stark looked away from him and called down the hall for her maid.

"Jocasta? Guide Dr. Blessing to the study and then send a call down to Howard to meet with him." Molly walked over.

"Yes, Ma'am." Jocasta said politely, taking the doctor's arm in one hand and leading him away.

Mr. Stark swaggered in to meet the doctor in the study over half an hour later. Howard held a glass of bourbon in one hand and took a seat behind his grand polished yew desk.

"Dr. Blessing, to what do I owe this intrusion?" Howard asked. The doctor's old hands gripped the armrests of the chair he sat in across from Howard.

"Your son is quite unwell Mr. Stark. Didn't you know?" Dr. Blessing asked, incredulous. Howard snorted and took a swig of his drink.

"What else is new?" He said. Dr. Blessing's eyes closed for a moment.

"Yes…exactly. I believe there is a reason that young Tony keeps getting sick." He said. Howard swirled his drink.

"Oh? And what reason would that be?" Mr. Stark asked offhandedly.

"I'm afraid…at least it seems to me that Mrs. Stark may be the cause." Howard suddenly looked interested in the conversation. The doctor continued. "Your butler Jarvis shared his suspicions with me the last time I visited, and I think I must now agree. Your wife has been slowly poisoning your son." Howard leaned forward on his elbows

"You have proof of this?" Howard questioned, intent. The doctor shook his head, his wispy hair flying around him.

"Not proof, no, not yet, but if you will allow me to take Tony to a hospital, I can have him tested. I believe he is being dosed with small amounts of arsenic, which will show up in his bloodstream. And sadly I also believe your boy realizes what is happening on some level and wants to protect his mother." The doctor concluded angrily. Howard was silent for some moments.

"I…see. So there is no proof." His long fingers wrapped together around the glass in front of him. "Then this is what will happen, there won't be any tests. You have done the job you were hired to do and are no longer needed." Mr. Stark said. Dr. Blessing stared, flummoxed.

"Mr. Stark, what are you saying? Your five year old son is being poisoned, don't you care?" Dr. Blessing asked, disbelievingly. Howard slammed his glass on the desk, shattering it, causing his hand to bleed, and startling the doctor almost out of his chair.

"Know your place, doctor! You are never to speak of such unfounded accusations to me or to anyone else, ever, do you understand?" Howard yelled. The doctor gathered himself together and faced the billionaire down. Dr. Blessing lifted his chin defiantly.

"I don't know who you think you are Mr. Stark, but if you will not handle this problem I will do it myself and report this to the authorities, I can't allow a child to be so mistreated." He said firmly. A sly look entered Howard's eyes and he nodded. He reached into a drawer and took out a checkbook.

"Ah…how much?" Howard asked.

"W-what?!" The doctor asked, shocked.

"You heard me, how much?" Mr. Stark said slowly. Dr. Blessing sputtered.

"You think I would let this go, for money?" He exclaimed. Howard put down the checkbook and laid his injured hand on top of it, drops of his blood landed and sank onto the left edge.

"Let me make your position perfectly clear to you _Blessing_." Howard said sneeringly. He reached his other hand down to another drawer and brought out a handgun. "I have more resources than you can imagine and the way I see it you've got three options. See this gun? I designed it myself, it holds 20 bullets, and see this here? It allows me to fire it in complete silence." He displayed the gun's modifications to the doctor as if he were a child showing off his most prized toy, and then pointed it directly at the doctor's nose. "Now let me be blunt, I could kill you this very moment, in this very room, and the police wouldn't do a dammed thing. I have a lot of friends, doctor. Or option two, I could of course hire someone to dispose of you at a later date, but then, I've always despised loose ends. You do live with your granddaughter don't you? What was her name, I know you blathered on and on to me about her, was it Carrie? Connie? Oh, yes Claire. Lovely name. Or we could keep this civilized and go with option three." Howard rested the gun next to the checkbook and smiled. "Now I really hate to repeat myself but _how_ _much_?" Howard asked warmly, folding his hands beneath his chin. The doctor swallowed and looked down at his old scarred hands.

"Twenty thousand." He whispered quickly, brokenly. Howard wrote out the amount and handed over the check.

"Here's the check, I never want to see or hear from you again, or no one will ever see and hear from you again, understand Doctor?" Howard asked. The doctor turned away.

"I understand." He murmured. Mr. Stark glared and bared his teeth.

"Good, now get the hell out of my house." Dr. Blessing left with his bloodstained check in hand and didn't look back once.


End file.
